All Posts By: Connie Cousins

Time to celebrate the health and well-being of men around the country! Since 1994, June has been set aside as Men’s Health Month (MHM), with screenings, health fairs, media appearances, and other education and outreach activities.

Plus, the Friday before Father’s Day is Wear BLUE Day (June 16), when corporations, government agencies, sports teams, and individuals wear blue to raise awareness about the need for regular checkups and health education, all geared toward men.

In support of MHM, Veestro brings plants to the table with the following top five nutritional benefits for men.

Satellite imagery of Earth reveals a living planet hued in brilliant blues and greens. Zoom in and you see a lush garden with enough natural resources to support all the inhabitants. But human activity has created climate change and pollution of the oceans, land, air, and food—through industrialization, habitat destruction, farming practices, and even eating habits—rendering this a far-from-perfect world. What footprint are we leaving for future generations? How can we save the planet?

Veestro’s mantra that plant-based is pleasing for people and the planet is one that’s getting more mainstream exposure and scientific support lately. In a recent editorial at CNN, George C. Wang, M.D., Ph.D,* calls upon global citizens to “go vegan” in order to mitigate environmental impacts harmful to health.

A calorie is a unit of energy in food. Simple. But confusion about “plant-based calories” continues: Are calories and how they work any different on a plant-based diet? In January, Veestro partially answered that in “Seven Ways Plants Help You Lose Weight.” Now, we’ll dig deeper into common concerns about calories and deriving them from plants.

Our glorious life-giving sun is the activator of vitamin D. But the days of carefree basking in the sun have been clouded by fears of skin cancer –from the same UV rays that activate the vitamin D, whichs cientists say actually functions to prevent cancer! We apply sunscreen or stay indoors, protecting our skin at the expense of the “sunshine vitamin” we need.

You’ve sifted through food articles, the Veestro blog, scientific studies, and even controversies, and you’ve finally decided to go plant-based. Suddenly it seems you’re venturing into totally new territory- different meal planning, recipes, flavors, nutrition, and caloric values. Where do you even start?

Controversies about soy’s effect on men’s health swirl around the Internet, claiming soy “feminizes” men (develops breasts, or gynecomastia), causes sexual dysfunction and infertility, and increases the risk of cancer. Veestro briefly broached this subject in “The Soybean Saga: Myths and Facts.” Now let’s zoom in for a closer look.

Have a sweet tooth? Do cakes and pies call to you, despite any guilt for indulging? We’ve got some healthy alternatives for enjoying your desserts with less guilt, once you sort through a few myths and facts about sugar.

Sodium is a nutrient we need. But, as salt, it’s also an additive much too prevalent in prepared and processed foods, used as a preserver and binder, and flavor, color, and texture enhancer. So, while feasting on flavorful food, we’re saturated in sodium. Sodium’s starring role Sodium is a vital mineral and the primary ion […]

Feast to your heart’s content, cast calories to the wind, lose pounds with plants, and never worry again! Sounds great. But are plants really a panacea or a pipedream? Actually, most studies agree that a plant-based diet is the healthiest way to lose weight—even without calorie-counting. Here’s why: 1. Plants contain less calories Calories (units […]